Broken Wings
by Human Pikachu
Summary: "I'm through playing this game. I don't want the life I used to live anymore, I can't want it anymore. I can't go back on who I am; I can't rethink this part of me. I just need to, you know, fly." The story of an Eevee with an impossible dream - complete!
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back, everyone (after disappearing from My Wish for, like, a month /). This chapter was so…long…and it moved really fast, I hate myself. I was inspired to write this about my character from HopeThePixii's RP forum (you all rock, if any of you read this.)**

**This is the story of Rose (aka Valentina Petal, her true name), an Eevee with a rather strange obsession-her dearest wish is to defy gravity. Her dream is the one thing she can hold onto throughout the pain, the torture, and the loss of the one person who had ever loved her.**

**Today the dream takes flight.**

**Chapter One**

**Unlimited**

* * *

"_Today the adventure begins…Today I leave the path they had chosen for me and instead take my own.–Chuck Gieg, _White Squall

* * *

My knees were shaking as I glanced up the side of Mount Coronet. The other Eevees ignored me as they started to walk up the beaten-down path.

Had the mountain always been so…well…_big_?

I'd never really been afraid of the mountain-that's, of course, because it had always been so far away. Our home is not close; it's somewhere east of Celestic town, in the forest. Our pack didn't usually come up here, except for the usual journey of the Elders (the leaders of our pack) once a month and the one year Eevees.

I suppose you could say our pack of Eevees had an unusual ritual used for coming of age. All of the Eevees who had turned a year old traveled to the Mount Coronet chain, climbed up to the top, and went through the special ceremony.

So exciting…and so worrisome.

"Rose, Rose! Rose, wait up! OI! VALINTINA PETAL! WAIT!"

The familiar voice echoed off the cliff, and I smiled.

Marc.

Marc was my reason for living, my best friend in the whole world. We'd been friends since we were babies, instantly inseparable from the time we had met. He was the only one I could talk to when I was angry, the only one who could make me laugh when I was upset, the only one I could be around without being self-conscious.

I turned around, watching as my best friend rushed up to me, his face alighting like I was the most precious treasure in the world to him. "I can't believe it, Marc!" I exclaimed. "We're finally becoming official members of the pack! This is so exciting!"

"Mmhm." Marc murmured, reaching me and nuzzling his cheek against mine, his usual greeting. "Hey, Rose, we'd better not be late."

The two of us began to walk again, even though the road ahead was already deserted.

"So, someone told me for the ceremony we had to pick our evolution." Marc said, looking sideways at me. "Did you decide what you wanted to be yet?"

I shrugged, the possibilities mulling over in my mind. "Likely a Leafeon."

"Okay, now _there's_ a surprise." Marc rolled his eyes, grinning and prodding the rose I always wore roundabout my neck. "You've loved flowers and plants practically since you were _born, _Rose. It's lucky your parents choose a rose for your amulet. Mine-ugh! So…_unoriginal._" He wore a simple blue crystal around his.

You see, when new Eevees are born in our pack, their parents choose an item for them. It's supposed to symbolize their hopes for the baby's future, like their evolution. The babies wear the amulet around their neck until they come of age, where ceremoniously it is taken off. Maybe my love of flowers had rubbed off on me that way, with a flower around mine.

Hence, Mark's nickname for me, "Rose".

"Maybe your parents are hoping you'll evolve into Glaceon." I suggested.

"Maybe." He snorted.

"Are you not nervous for this _at all_?" I demanded.

"Rosie, my _dad_ is one of the Elders. I think I'm going to be fine." He assured, turning his head to look at me. "_They'll say to me, 'I see who you truly are-a man on whom we can rely.' And that's how I'll begin-my future and I…_" He sang softly, his voice one of the most beautiful I'd ever heard.

"You're so full of yourself." I smiled. "You're not a man yet, pup."

He bumped into me on purpose, making a face. "My destiny's been set since I was born."

"No one believes we can choose our futures anymore." I shook my head. "Destiny's not a matter of chance, it's a matter of choice; it's not a thing to be waited for, it's a thing to be achieved."

"We have unlimited possibilities, then, if that makes you feel better." He corrected himself. "Our futures can hold anything, Rose."

"_Unlimited…my future is unlimited…and I've just had a vision almost like a prophecy…I know, it sounds truly crazy…and true, the vision's hazy…but I swear someday there'll be a celebration throughout the land that's all to do with me!_" I stopped singing, and giggled and rubbed against Marc.

"And you say I'M full of myself?" Marc raised his eyebrows playfully.

We both knew about my love for songs, because I was frequently coming up with my own.

From his side, I happened to look down the side of the cliff.

I gasped and shrunk back. This did not escape Marc.

"Talk to me, Rose." Marc said matter-of-factly, forcing me turn my head back to him. "It will take your mind off of the height. Don't look down."

And so we talked the rest of the way.

* * *

_Everyone knows it's meant to be…Falling in love, just you and me…Till the end of time…Till I'm on your mind…It'll happen…I'll just keep on dreaming, but it's cool cause we're just friends… _I sang in my head, glancing at Marc.

And finally, we reached the top and joined up with the others.

The location for the ceremony was a small jagged cliff near the top, the Elders forming a rough half circle near the edge. Behind them was a square stone platform, where we would stand and recite our vows.

"Marcus Icebir?" called a cold voice immediately, which I recognized as one of the Elder's.

"I'm first. I must be special. And I'll be right back," Marc said to me. "Except," He puffed out his chest. "I'll be a _man_."

I laughed. What a dork. "Just go, you sorry excuse for a male."

Marc bounded forward onto the small square platform overlooking the cliff. I saw him look down once and shiver, then stare straight ahead. He was forbidden to look back at us.

"Marcus Icebir," began the Elder. "Son of Elder Marcus and Emina Icebir, are you prepared to take on the responsibilities of being a tribe member?"

"I am prepared with joy." Marc was reciting the vows we'd learned when we were little.

"To bear the tribe's burden and share in a tribe's defeat?"

"I am prepared to carry the burden until it is light and be the one who changes the tribe, defeated, to triumphant." Marc continued in a slightly bored voice.

"To put others before yourself and submit to the tribe's needs?"

"I am prepared to be completely selfless even unto death."

"Oh, new member of the tribe, what will be your evolution?"

I watched him tense up, and even though he couldn't see me, I nodded encouragingly. "I wish to be a Glaceon, sir." He said, relaxing.

A light breeze blew through the cliff, and after that, I couldn't concentrate on the rest of Marc's ceremony, but on the delicious wind ruffling through my fur…Mmm…

The crowd around me began to cheer, and I started, looking up. One of the other elders had taken off Marc's crystal amulet and held it in his mouth. As custom, the elder threw it off the mountain, and the cheering intensified.

Grinning, Marc bounded back through the crowd towards me.

"So, how do you feel?" I whispered, smirking.

"Actually…if you want to know the truth…more…_manly_, now that the necklace is off." He confessed, embarrassed.

I giggled again.

More and more Eevees were called, the crowd around us still occasionally cheering.

Finally, my name was called. I was the second-to-last person. "Valentina Petal." Summoned the cold voice of the Elder.

"Your turn." Marc reminded, elbowing me.

I flashed another smile at Marc and pushed my way to the front to stand on the platform. It was simply made of rock, but dangerously close to the edge, looking down at a height that would have made non-acrophobics want to faint. I mistakenly, like Marc, glanced down.

I flinched. However, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the terrifying elevation.

But…

Slowly I felt the fear ebbing away, replaced by a different emotion: joy. The height was exhilarating, the air with an edge of daring. My muscles ached to throw myself off, to feel that rush, the unknown.

"Valentina Petal," The cold voice interrupted my thoughts. "Daughter of William and Larissa Petal, sister to Rubylin Petal (passed), are you prepared to take on the responsibilities of being a tribe member?"

"I am prepared with joy." I mumbled, distracted.

"To bear the tribe's burden and share in a tribe's defeat?"

"I am prepared to carry the burden until it is light and be the one who changes the tribe, defeated, to triumphant."

"To put others before yourself and submit to the tribe's needs?"

"I am prepared to be completely selfless even unto death."

"Oh, new member of the tribe, what will be your evolution?"

I knew, in that moment, I could never evolve. Never. It would take away my chance, my chance to be in the air, flying in that dream I would want for the rest of my life. After all, one cannot consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar.

"Umm…uh…" I muttered, wondering how to phrase it. "I wish not to evolve, sir?"

There were horrified gasps behind me.

"_Excuse me_?" The Elder with the cold voice asked incredulously. "_WHAT do you wish_?"

"I wish not to evolve, sir." I turned to face him, shrugging. "I…I wish to, well…fly."

"Flying is _fantasy_, foolish female."

"But that doesn't matter. I can't change the way I am…" I argued, paling at his glare.

"Those are the words of a _child_." The Elder said, fury in his eyes. "A _child_ is not to be a member of our pack. I…_apologize_, but I refuse to accept you. Maybe you should quit your childish fancies and face reality, idiotic girl. Maybe you can become a pack member next year, despite the _freakishness_ you have shown today. This is not natural. And now you may step down. Maria Shadowieve."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "What? I'm…not one of you?"

"I _said_, you may step down."

"You can't do this to me!" I shrieked. "You can't!"

"I just did, foolish girl. Step down."

"But-!" I screamed.

"Just come, Valentina." Squeaked a frightened voice from the others.

Fuming and fighting back tears, I walked back to the group, keeping my head down. They separated for me, so I could reach the back. I stood by Marc's side and faced the front, but I could tell he was still staring at me.

Finally, I met his shocked eyes.

"What brought _that_ on?" He choked out.

"I don't know…" I said tearfully, pushing up against his side. "That guy should seriously take some classes."

"No, Valentina, not that." He shook his head. "Listen…I'm not allowed to be your friend anymore. I'm an adult and you're a child; we can't be with each other. Don't worry about me, I have some other guy friends, and besides, it's time we went our separate ways, right? Chase our destinies?"

My heart thudded to a stop.

He wasn't even calling me Rose anymore.

"Marc, you _can't_ do this to me too."

"I'm sorry, Valentina."

"Marc, no-!" I shouted as everyone gave a final cheer, parted around us and started heading back down the beaten path.

"Goodbye." Marc said with an air of finality, walking ahead.

"No, Marc, wait, please-!" I screeched, but I'd gone so numb that the power to control myself had left me. I knew I couldn't live without him, he couldn't leave me-

Something struck me on the shoulder.

It took me a moment to realize it was another Eevee, who must have been at least three times my size, looking down, cruelly amused.

"I _would_ apologize, but I'm above apologizing to freaks."

Two other Eevee flocked to the giant's side.

"Freak." One snickered as they continued down the mountain as well.

Marc, farther away, paused.

My heart was filled with joy, and I knew an enormous smile was brimming on my face. He really did need me, he didn't mean it after all-

"Hurry up, guys, we'll be late for supper." Marc said coolly, joining up with them.

My face fell.

They were his _friends…?_

I held back my tears. Not now, in front of them.

I couldn't believe it.

In a single day, I had been changed from respected, happy and loved…to being disgraced, depressed and hated even by _him_. My _best friend_.

I suppose that's life.

A constant friend is a thing very rare and hard to find.

* * *

_H/P_

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm here, again, already impatient reviewers XD! **

**Sorry this chapter isn't as long, but the first one was kind of an introduction.**

**This chapter is dedicated to HopeThePixii, who (and I'm not kidding) anticipated the second chapter before she'd even read the first chapter…talk about a dedicated fan…and, I owe her this chapter early because she told Team Twilight readers about it (though it's not as good as she says it is)! This is for you, Pixii!**

**Sorry, C.I.A.D, Marc is too important to kill. :D YET. I want to kill him too, and you haven't even read the whole story yet! Vote on the new poll if you think Marc should die! XD**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Nothing Lasts Forever**

* * *

"_They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." –Carl W. Buechner _

* * *

I looked up into the sunset sky, sighing peacefully.

How could I not have noticed the sky before?

The heavens were so grand, its measure incomprehensive. The infinite, rich colors were so luxurious, so striking. It was so imposing I was frightened of it, yet so majestic I wanted to fly along with it. So…lovely, plain and simple.

And yet no one understands.

Its beauty was everything next to where I was standing, the small burrow in the ground. There were lights on, so I knew that my parents were home. But that's exactly what I was dreading, the inevitable wrath of my parents.

"Graduating" had been the last chance of impressing them.

They didn't exactly love me as much as they could. At least, they had until my sister was born. _Rubylin_, the _perfect_ one, the _beautiful_ one, the _admired_ one.

The very name made anger flood my veins.

I couldn't deny it was true, though; my sister was infinitely more…attractive than me. My parents had been so proud of her, I had been forced to listen to their downright worshipping of her-'_Rubylin is so perfect_' and '_Rubylin is the perfect child_'. Everyone (except for Mark) even preferred her to me, though she was such a despicable and unpleasant person I couldn't imagine why. I can still remember her smug face, sneering at me. _You'll always been unloved, wherever you go…_

I shook away the memory and started down the hole.

I could hear their displeased voices talking to each other; obviously, they had already heard the news.

_This is going to be fun._

I took in a deep breath and started down the small hole.

* * *

"VALENTINA PETAL! THAT BETTER BE YOU-!"

"It's me, William." I sighed.

"YOU ARE IN THE DEEPEST TROUBLE, YOUNG LADY-!"

"I'm coming." I refrained from rolling my eyes, knowing how much trouble I was really in. "One can only walk so fast, you know…"

"You better hurry up, then, or you won't have legs to walk with!" hissed the cold voice of my mother, Larissa.

They sounded happy with me, no doubt about that.

I exhaled again and stepped out into the room.

They both faced me with identical expressions.

My father, William, was a Leafeon. He usually held his head up high, as he was much respected in our pack, but now it was faced at me, a soundless snarl ripping from his lips. My mother, Larissa, also a furious face. She was an Umbreon, and proud of it, too. She had frozen eyes, yet warm with rage toward me.

"So…how was your day today?" William asked, his anger barely concealed.

"Good." I swallowed. "Marc's going to be a Glaceon."

"And you?"

"I don't know, really." I cringed, deciding not to lie. "I decided, you know, maybe it's a bit early for evolution. I thought I should wait on the decision until I knew what I really wanted."

"You thought?" Larissa growled. "You _**THOUGHT**_? No, you didn't think, you didn't think at all. You've never thought about anyone but yourself, ever. Especially what it would do to William and I."

"And since when have you two cared about my future?" I asked, stung.

"Since you decided it would be a fun joke to disgrace our family in front of the entire group of Elders!" She snarled at me. "And to put stress on us even more than there already was! This is a cruel game, Valentina, just to get attention-"

"Larissa, it wasn't a joke. I told them I didn't want to evolve."

William puffed his chest out, his face stained a dark red, contrasting interestingly with his green fur. "HOW DARE YOU, VALENTINA PETAL!"

"William-Dad-"

"WELL, YOU JUST MARCH YOURSELF RIGHT BACK THERE, YOUNG LADY, AND BEG THEM TO ACCEPT YOU, FALL ON YOUR KNEES IF YOU HAVE TO AND SHOW THEM THE PROPER RESPECT!"

"William, there's something I need to tell you-" I said anxiously.

"That's right, don't argue with your father." Larissa agreed frostily.

"Larissa, William, I can't. I can't anymore, not till next year." Tears sparkled in my eyes. "The Elder said so. I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

My parents both glared at me.

"Why couldn't you have been more like your sister, Rubylin…?" Larissa sighed.

At that instant, when my mother brought my sister in the conversation, I knew this argument was going to go nowhere. I shut myself down and patiently listened to their yelling. Waiting, waiting for the end to come, which must come eventually.

Nothing lasts forever. Especially the yelling.

Finally, William could breathe again, and Larissa sighed and drifted off to her room. William threw a glare at me that clearly wished for my death and followed his mate.

I was left there, silently struggling with my urge to laugh, or just…cry.

Clearing my throat, I tried to rid it of the great lump that was there now as I climbed out of the hole. I knew I would not be sleeping at home tonight. My parents needed a chance to cool down, that's all.

* * *

The sky had faded to a peaceful black night, and I sighed, relaxing. The night sky was as beautiful as the day's, with pure balls of light shining down on me. I lay back against the grass, listening to the wind in the trees whistle and the flowers rustle. I would enjoy this. This night wouldn't last forever.

My face twisted as new thoughts came to my mind.

_Nothing_ lasts forever. This peacefulness would not last forever. This beauty would not last forever. This happiness would not last forever (my parents were not finished with me; I had seen it in their eyes).

Friendship didn't last forever.

Marc was proof of that, I suppose.

But maybe it was also a good thing. The loathing wouldn't last forever. The teasing, the bullies wouldn't last forever. This ache in every part of me, the enormous hole in my heart wouldn't last forever.

The heartbreak wouldn't last forever.

At least for that, I could be glad.

I'm just…_through_ playing this game. I don't want the life I used to live anymore…I _can't_ want that life anymore. I can't go back on who I am; I can't rethink this part of me. I just need to…you know…fly.

That part of me would last forever.

"_Something has changed within me…Something is not the same…"_ Words came to my mind, and I sang them. _"I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game…Too late for second-guessing…Too late to go back to sleep…It's time to trust my instincts: Close my eyes and leap…"_

I sat back and sighed, watching the night gradually darken.

"_It's time to try defying gravity…I think I'll try defying gravity…And you can't pull me down!"_

_

* * *

_

H/P


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm gone for, like two days and there are already six more reviews! And advertisers! Awesome! You all must love me or something! (Or you just want me to get writing, but really, which is more realistic?) Except for you, ESP. If you say you feel sorry for Rose again, I might have to hunt you down with a baseball bat. Don't feel too sorry for her!**

**OMG! ANOTHER WICKED LOVER! Erisna, I wasn't trying to fool anyone, honest! XD I was going to put in that the song were from Wicked, really. But I figured that no one would know the difference anyone, so I didn't bother. Lazy, not shady.**

**Keep voting on the poll! XD So far, all of you voted the same thing. Anyone want to make a guess on what it is so far?**

**Oh yeah! I will be accepting 2-3 Eevees, I'll use them in a specific (just one, sorry) chapter. Submit, lazies!**

* * *

Chapter 3

The Nightmares

* * *

"_Life is a storm, my young friend. You'll bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a person is what you do when that storm comes."_

* * *

I awoke at dawn, my stomach growling.

The sun scorched my eyes, dazzling me momentarily as I tried to wake myself up fully. Finally, with a groan I eased myself to my feet and looked around in the meadow around me. It was still so beautiful, and the burrow still…so uninviting. I shivered.

Beside the burrow was a small leaf note.

_Valentina-_

_William and I are out for a walk with the Elders. Don't try anything funny while we're gone, we'll be back tonight. Meanwhile, just get yourself breakfast and such, because we're not helping you._

_-Larissa_

I sighed.

No doubt the hottest topic during my parent's walk would be, ah…me.

Tears fought themselves into my eyes. This would be the kind of thing Marc and I would talk about…but Marc was gone. Where was my best friend when you needed him? Not that he wouldn't be coming back, of course. He would. We needed each other-

My stomach reminded me of its needs, too.

* * *

After I had solved my hunger problem with berries, I decided to take a walk of my own.

Marc was going to come back to me; there was no doubt in my mind. That Marc I had seen yesterday was not Marc: that was a cruel person the Elders forced him to be. Marc was still there, under all of that coldness. He still needed me. I still wanted him.

Tomorrow, I decided. Tomorrow I was going to go talk to Marc.

I wandered down the forest paths, inhaling deeply as I went but not caring to memorize the way back. It would be easy enough, so for now, as they say, stop and smell the roses…er… wildflowers.

And flying…

Was it possible to have a flying evolution? I wondered, startled as I thought about it. That would solve my problem quickly, except…

There wasn't any such evolution. At least to my pack, there wasn't.

Maybe Marc and I could have the dream life we both wanted if I could find this evolution…or just gave in to the Elders and became a Leafeon.

How I hated how my life had come down to two choices!

Basically, the two halves of my heart.

If I chose my home, I lose my dream. If I chose my dream, I lose Marc.

"I didn't know the forest was hosting a freak show."

I stiffened, instinctively growling as I spun around.

It was that huge Eevee I had seen around Marc yesterday after graduation, flocked by his two underlings…who were still bigger than I was.

"No freak show here." I said coldly. "Just an Eevee enjoying the flowers."

"Oh, that's enough of one for me." The biggest Eevee leered at me. "So, abnormal girl, how does it feel to be hated? Dumped by your own mate?"

The words stung me. "Marc wasn't my mate…" I mumbled.

"Oh, that's right Iron, Isabella, remember?" The smallest one sneered at me.

My eyes stared at him, shocked. "What about Isabella…?"

The three all smirked. "Why don't you talk to your precious Marc and find out?" The medium one barked, straightening. "Can't we just start now, Iron? I'm itching to begin…" He snickered. Shivers raced down my spine as I backed away.

"What are you going to do with me?" I tried not to scream.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you permanently…physically at least." The biggest one's, Iron's, claws snapped out to gleam threateningly and he grinned. "Mentally…heh, I think I might just enjoy this. I think your parents will even thank us. Besides, what are you, a freak, going to do about it? No one is really going to believe you if you tell them, and even if they did, the Elders won't do anything about it. So…Twire, Point, boys," He became very businesslike. "Do I get the honors?"

"Go ahead." They both chimed, laughing silently.

Iron casually lurched forward to a crouch, sneering at me as he did so. His claws rustled impatiently, so sharp, so deadly…

I froze, blood pounding in my ears and mentally screamed at myself to move. _Run, run away, you fool!_ I yelled in my head. _You know where this is going, these bullies will inflict more pain on you, more pain you should have to deal with! MOVE!_

It was like being trapped in one of those terrifying nightmares where something is coming for you and you have to outrun it, but you can't move your legs at all…So you wait in dread as you try desperately to escape, even though you know you will fail…

Iron suddenly smiled menacingly.

My heart stopped.

I knew I would fail.

With a wild growl he launched himself at me, scraping at the distance between us. As he reached me, his glinting claws raked across my fur, ripping through my weak skin.

_This is nothing,_ I told myself, fighting the urge to cry out. _Ignore the pain. This will all be worth it if Marc comes back to you. And, well, if he doesn't, it's going to get a lot worse than this, so ignore this pain. Don't cry out, it will only excite them. Breathe, stay calm._

These thoughts repeated in my head as I was wounded further.

* * *

Finally, Iron backed away, disbelief coloring his expression.

I fell back limply into the grass, the red grass, the bloodstained grass.

It was like the pain hadn't hit me yet, but it was looming closer, like the thing in the nightmare…

Iron's disbelieving look faded and was replaced with a death glare.

The other two stared at me in shock. "She hasn't even cried out once!" The smaller one whispered. "That's…never happened before!"

Iron bared his teeth with a snarl. "Save your breath! She hasn't even gotten a taste of my Bite yet!" He bolted toward me with fury in his eyes.

Somewhere nearby a bloodcurdling shriek of agony erupted, blasting my eardrums-an unforgettable sound, one that rocked me to the very core. I glanced around feebly to see where it was coming from.

Until I realized it was coming from my own mouth as Iron's teeth sank into my shoulder.

The pain grew until it was fire, an unbearable pain, and I knew I was going to die.

* * *

Then the pain stopped growing, although the agony remained at its level. Iron spat out my blood in the grass, and he stopped. I heard what made him halt. Light footsteps, headed in our direction. Footsteps that I instantly recognized.

Marc. Marc was walking toward us, toward me.

I felt a rush of gratitude as I struggled to my feet-he'd come to his senses…he'd saw what they'd done to me, he could do something…I managed a weak smile when he glanced in my direction.

But it wasn't my eyes he met.

"Hey, Iron. Twire. Point." He greeted each of them by name. Twire was the medium out of the three. Point was the smallest. "You three are late, you know. Emina's already made lunch, you lazy Eevees." He chuckled to himself. "You know what happens when my dad gets hungry-I thought you'd learned that lesson last time!"

Only Point glanced at me.

"_What about the girl?"_ He hissed at Iron.

"She doesn't matter now." Iron narrowed his eyes. "Let's go, Twire, Point, Marc. I, personally, am hungry enough to eat an Eevee. Let's go before Emina decides to refuse us lunch. Or, as Marc puts it, Elder Marcus eats it all."

Marc and Twire nodded and followed their leader off into the distance.

I watched them go in shock, unable to speak.

* * *

"MARC!" I screamed shrilly as soon as I regained my voice. "MARC!"

Marc didn't care to glace back. I took a step back, tears rushing freely down my face now. He was friends with those bullies…those monsters…

Those nightmares.

I fell backwards and curled up into a small ball, drenching myself with my tears. I barely noticed when the sky darkened once more. No one would miss me anyway.

I knew I had stepped into this nightmare the moment I had looked down that cliff yesterday.

Now I was just begging to be woken up.

* * *

_H/P_


	4. Chapter 4

**I finished this chapter before you all hunted me down! Yay! Chapter four, baby! (But you do realize the whole plot I planned has only seven chapters and an epilogue, right?)**

**Dang, Pixii, you are a good guesser! DX **

**I'm dedicating this chapter…to…C.I.A.D, who's free to start the hunt now! (evil laugh) After you all read this chapter, you might just want to, too. You all should vote on the should-Marc-die poll now…though I'll give you one more reason to hate him…in chapter six…**

**And I also need one more Eevee, for next chapter. I already have one (winks at Will) Sorry ESP, I'm saving Hakumei for the epilogue, okay? (Why do you PM me about it, if you can?)**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Broken Hearts**

* * *

"_There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go…"_

* * *

I could live through this.

So often I hear stories of people who have been through worse-that their family died, they were thrown out of their homes and packs, all their friends died, having death and hatred loom over them constantly…

I was lucky, compared to them.

I snorted as I realized the futility of trying-and failing- to convince myself.

I _was going to talk to Marc._

And _nobody_ was going to stop me.

Yesterday had only strengthened my resolve, and I have the scars to prove it. I was determined on this. I knew he still cared about me, somewhere, deep down. I saw how he carefully avoided the subject on…what happened…around Iron, Twire, and Point.

Yet I really don't care if Marc doesn't want to hear my words, the truths that have made me so upset over the past couple of days. He was going to listen to me. He was going to face me like the man I thought I had known he was. There was to be no more lies.

No more.

I already knew Marc was going to be-all adult Eevees that hadn't found a mate yet were required to do services for the pack. He (and Iron, Twire, and Point, unfortunately) were assigned today to dig a burrow for a soon-to-be couple. Some two people I didn't care to know but nevertheless envied…

* * *

I came into a small clearing, where Eevees were bustling around, working hard. It was roughly around midday, I think. No one spared a passing glance. Which was all just as well, as the looks were always…yes, you know what I mean…

But there was only one person I was really focusing on.

Marc was in the center of all the hubbub, turned slightly to the side, his stance relaxed. He occasionally barked out orders in that beautiful voice of his-clearly he was in charge of overseeing it all.

Seeing him only added to my distress, though.

I reminded myself of what I was here for.

I nodded firmly to myself and tightened my muscles up, holding my head up high for the first time for a long time. I was Valentina Azalea Petal, and I was _not_ backing down from this. I marched over in my best friend's direction. He heard my footsteps and visibly straightened, his eyes narrowing, and turned to me.

"Can I help you?" He snapped angrily.

I stood my ground and glared back into his eyes. "Actually, there is, Marcus Victor Icebir. I suggest you start talking. That might help."

"I'm only helping you if it is helping you go away." Marc replied coldly.

"Maybe if you answer some questions first!" I spat.

"What do you _WANT_from me, Valentina?" He hissed, flinching. Our argument received some glances now, and one or two Eevees stopped to watch us.

"What is your problem, Marc?" I asked desperately, dropping the anger charade. "What happened to the two of us, together? What happened to this friendship we've shared since we were babies? How was it all wiped away in one instant? I thought we were inseparable…I thought…I thought…"

I broke off, searching his eyes urgently for some kind of warmth, for that Marc I still knew was still in there somewhere. For the real Marc, my Marc. But there was only that ice, that anger I had seen the past few times I had looked into his eyes. The ice and anger that had been forced there since that first day I made my decision…this _wasn't him_.

"You _thought_." Marc repeated mockingly.

The circle around us slightly grew.

"Marc…" I whispered.

"Leave me _ALONE_, Valentina!" Marc sighed, glaring. "You've changed into this clingy new person now! I don't know you anymore. I'm trying to make this easier on both of us, so I'll say it plain and simple: Please…_just get out of my life_."

"Marc…" I shook my head. "_I know that you're upset…I know I did you wrong…I know that you want me to pay for all the pain I've caused…but in the end, it all comes down to just one thing…It's you and me…_"

"You and me don't exist anymore. You are not my friend, Valentina. We may have been friends a long time ago, but I am a man now, and you are a child. I already explained this to you." His eyes were hard. "I'm higher than that."

_A long time ago…_I thoguth. _Three days must be the new forever._ "Marc, I know who made the mistakes…I did…can't you stop your foolish pride and come back to me?"

"That's not possible." laughed a snide voice from behind me. "Why don't you tell her why, Marc?"

Fury flooded my veins.

Iron batted me aside as easily as if I was a piece of paper. "Move it, freak." He said in a bored voice, even those his movements showed how enthusiastic he was. As usual, his sidekicks Twire and Point followed his every move. "Man, there's a simple solution to all of this. Just tell the little freak about Isabella and we can get her off our backs."

Twire and Point snickered, but I didn't notice, for two things happened simultaneously in that moment.

First, Marc inhaled sharply, but only I seemed to notice; only I looked at him. The cold pretense had dropped from his eyes-I could see the real Marc again. But there was unbearable agony in them he tried to hide as he glanced at me, shaking. I knew him well enough to tell that this was something he had tried to hide from me.

His act of not caring was just that…an act.

And second, my heart was shattered in millions and millions of infinitesimal pieces and blew away in the wind, and I knew no amount of time was ever going to heal me.

"I, uh, y-you know, was saving the a-announcement for, er, the p-proper time…" Marc stuttered anxiously."This, uh, i-isn't really the t-time…"

"Oh, come on, Marc. The little freak _deserves_ some reality." Iron bared his teeth and grinned at me from Marc's side. The quite large circle around us nodded cruelly. "Apparently she didn't learn her lesson yesterday…I could take care of her, if you want…" He added eagerly, leaning forward.

Marc looked at me again, the pain clear in his expression.

"Isabella…" He murmured furtively, closing his eyes. "Oh, Rose…"

I cringed.

Now he was calling me Rose…

"Rose…ah…there's no easy way to tell you this…this burrow…is being built for me."

I couldn't catch my breath.

"Yes, it's being built for me. My parent's arranged this couple, I had no choice at all in this…oh, Rose…me and Isabella…you remember her? From our year group? Well…Isabella and I…we're pretty much mates now."

I blinked, my first reaction.

They could take everything I loved away, and they knew it. They could limit me in more ways than I could count.

Now I'd lost the only thing that ever mattered to me. I had nothing else to lose.

I may not ever fly-but _**I WOULD DIE TRYING**_!

"_I'm through accepting limits 'cuz someone says they're so…"_ I sang, pulsing with hate and rejection, backing away. _"Some things I cannot change, but till I try, I'll never know! Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost…Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost!" _

The pain was swept away from Marc's eyes and replaced with the ice and outrage.

"_I'd sooner buy defying gravity! Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity!"_ I shrieked, turning and running, away, away from Marc, away from my shattered heart.

"FREAK!!" I heard him screech behind me.

" _And you can't pull me down!"_ I screamed into the sky for the world to hear.

_

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_

H/P


	5. Chapter 5

**I ish back, my lovelies! And with an update!**

**This is one of my favorite chapters, for no reason…thank you so much, Will, for lending me your character for this (I'm sorry if I didn't keep him in character, but I don't know him that well) and so I'll dedicate this chapter to you! **

**All of you are so nice to me, reviewing and all! ****Okay, at least ten of you have voted on the Marc-should-die poll, and someone voted for him to not die! XD Who are you, mystery person?! And you all want to kill Marc…why not Iron, for Pete's sake, or me! I'm the one doing all the mean stuff to Rose! ****Oh…wait…I get it…killed author means no updates XD**

**Okay, on to the chapter now. Review, please, they make me happy, and vote on the new poll!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Courage**

* * *

"_Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future." –John F. Kennedy_

* * *

I was leaving.

Tonight.

There was no point in me staying anymore. I was like an empty shell. Marc was lost to me forever. The other half of my heart was gone, and as that left me with only the other half, I was going with that piece.

My dream was all I had left.

Maybe someday someone could help me find those lost pieces and glue them back together, but I wasn't interested that kind of thing right now. All I was interested in right now was putting as much distance between me and that heartbreaker as possible.

I was just going to buy the last of my supplies today. And then I would leave. Forever.

I was so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't realize when I bumped into someone and looked up.

I had barely spoken to anyone else in my pack for four days now. Word had spread quickly that I was an "abomination" and "shouldn't be respected at all". I looked into the fiery eyes of this person and knew he had obviously heard the word.

"Hello, _Leon._" I snapped.

Just who I needed to see.

This was yet another figure I did not like-I recognized him as one of those solitary, older Eevees who preferred to frighten me. Even more resentment had gathered for him because of the fact he wasn't evolved yet, just like me, even though he was nearly a year older…though you could say he was an exception, as he had a fire stone around his neck and was determined to use it someday. (He still had his amulet, just like me…)

"That is Vincent Leonardo Burstfire to you." Leon replied indifferently, but smirking slightly. "So, Miss Valentina Petal…how's _Marc_ been lately?"

Tears blanched in my eyes and threatened to spill over. Carefully-so easily it was, like, a new skill I had learned-I choked them back. "Move aside." I said angrily, trying to shove past him.

"No." He said simply.

I exclaimed irritably in defeat and went around him. "What's _your_ problem, anyway? Why can't you and the rest of the pack just leave me alone! I don't _care_ that your family was killed by that Dusknoir, Oblivion or whatever his name, when you were young. You still shouldn't take it out on all of us."

Leon face distorted in rage and he followed me.

"And, in return, you shouldn't take the anger from Marc abandoning you to go off with Isabella out on me."

My muscles tightened.

"How do _you_, of _all_ people, know about _that_?"

He smirked. "Word gets around easily enough." He seemed bent on torturing me. "Your face is all puffy and tearstained too, you know. _Was the little girl crying?_" He added in a voice that indicated he was talking to an infant.

"You know, I try to refrain from violence, but I can be persuaded otherwise." I said pleasantly, trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone. "And I'm just in that mood today…"

"No, I think I'll hang around, just to bug you a bit more."

I glared at him-apparently, that was the only thing I was able to do these days. Glare and cry. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

He knew I wouldn't attack him.

"Actually, I thought you would be needed some company after what Marc did to you yesterday." Leon said calmly. "I'm sorry that-for once-I'm trying to be nice, and fail. And I'm sorry that that one time it's toward an uncaring girl like you."

"Yes, heaven forbid _anyone_ but _me!_" I replied in a mock tone of horror.

Leon stared at me.

"Maybe it's right, what they say about you." He said slowly. "Maybe you ARE crazy…"

A tear escaped my eye, but I kept my expression the same. I gave Leon one last dagger look and stormed away. No one-especially him-was going to see me cry. I had had enough crying the past four days. I was sick of the crying over Marc. I didn't want Marc to put me back together. I was going to put myself back together, and I was going to do it alone.

Leon's voice echoed in my head. _Maybe it's right, what they say about you..._

I didn't care about what they said. I didn't care about what anyone else said anymore.

_Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt…_

No. Words can't break your bones. Words can break much worse things.

Like your heart.

I sighed and walked toward the small burrow that was the supplies shop. I had had that coming to me. If Marc and Isabella wanted to be happy, I was going to let them be happy. I would have no more say in it.

I stumbled down to the light at the end of the hole.

It was a small, dark room, sparse candles set all around in small crevices. The space was mostly empty. In the middle of the room, a short Vaporeon was stretched out on a rosy pink carpet, dozing lightly. An assortment of items was laid out in a neat order in front of her.

Careful not to wake the Vaporeon, I crept around her and ran my gaze over her items. There were a few apples, some Oran, Pecha, and Cheri berries, a few oval shaped machines-I assumed these were 'TMs'-and a few multicolored scarves. Each object was marked with a price, and I pulled out the small purse I had brought with me, placing all of the money in front of her, and chose out a couple of the items and gathered them in one arm.

* * *

It was a quick process, and the Vaporeon didn't awaken. Quickly I limped out and started to the hole…only to have something dart in front of me.

I took a step back.

The Eevee that had just entered rushed over to the pack of items and pulled to a stop; for some reason, he looked familiar…The person glanced left to right, grabbed a scarf and wrapped it around his neck almost soundlessly.

Then I figured it out.

"Do you always steal like this, Point?"

Point twirled around to face me and gave me a small smile, thought his eyes were sad. "Misty always tells me to go ahead. She doesn't accept my money anyway. She is Iron's mate." He explained to my confused look. "She wouldn't care anyway."

My eyes narrowed. "So, what have you been up to, _Point_?"

Point shrugged. "Same as usual. Watching Iron beat up people. Listening to Twire's attempts at sarcasm. Hanging out with Marc." I cringed when he said Marc's name, so he backtracked quickly. "Nothing new."

His reaction stunned me.

"So, I'll be seeing you around…or not." I snapped, shoving past him to climb up the hole.

Point only watched me with his cheerless eyes.

"I think you're really brave, by the way."

I blinked and whirled around to face Point. "Excuse me? What did you just say?" I asked incredulously. After all, this was the Iron's right-hand man. Their gang was nothing but a bunch of bullies who could get away with it. What was with Point coming in and praising me now?

Point shifted nervously. "I said, I think you're really brave." He murmured, looking down at the ground. "In all my year of knowing him, I've never seen anyone who has stood up to him. And then how you reacted afterward…you only had screamed once…"

I remembered Point's shocked gaze after Iron had first attacked me.

"I was one of Iron's victims, once, a long time ago." He shivered violently at the memory. "That's when it was just him and Twire. I reacted worse than you did at the pain-believe me, I've felt your pain. Desperate to avoid it, I joined his gang and followed his orders. I try to act like Iron and Twire do, but it's not easy…

"I think you're incredible. You have the courage to stand up for what you want, even when people are trying to pull you down, even though it's something that nobody's even heard of. You don't let it pull you down. You're stronger then I'll ever be, and I just wanted to let you know…I'm in awe. I've never met someone quite like you before. It was…nice…knowing you." I blinked, shocked, and he nodded. "I know that's why you're here. You're leaving. So I came to say goodbye. And to let you know that I wish I could be like you." He shrugged and started to climb up the tunnel again. "Goodbye, Rose."

I backed away several steps and smiled slightly. "Thanks, Point," I whispered. "Thanks. Goodbye."

I never saw Point again after that.

I started climbing up the hole after him, a song echoing in my head.

"_What do you think about this? I've been holding it in, now I'm letting it flow…what do you think about this? I'm going to do my own thing now that I'm flying so low…so don't tell me how it's going to be…on my own, because the thing of it is…there's nothing around here that I'm going to miss… _

_Because you're holding me down…I just want to fly…and there comes a time that I've got to say goodbye to the life that you see me in…here's where I begin! And I promised myself I am nobody's…I just want to be free…And I promised myself, even though it doesn't always come easy…Going to learn from my pain, never explained, I'll do it my way, that's what I say! I promised myself I'm the only one who will believe me… _

I had promised myself. I, the courageous one…

"_There's a voice in my head…telling me come on, come on, move on…there's a voice in my head…telling me I know my right from wrong…they say what doesn't kill you then makes you strong…yes, I know what it means…you can try to bend but you'd be breaking my dreams…_

_I'll be making mistakes, coming up and along…and I'll be tumbling down, but like I'll just shake it off…I'll stay cool, because I know who's boss…me, myself, and I! And I promised myself I am nobody's…I just want to be free…And I promised myself, even though it doesn't always come easy…Going to learn from my pain, never explained, I'll do it my way, that's what I say! I promised myself I'm the only one who will believe me…"_

The sun had already drifted down past the horizon and the sky had faded to a peaceful dusk I sighed and took a deep breath of the fresh air, no nervousness in my heart now.

It was time for me to go.

"_I'll keep moving even when the beat is gone…I'll keep doing what I got to do to carry on… so don't hold me down…cause I'm going to fly…and the time has come and I've got to say goodbye to the life that you see me in…here's where I begin! And I promised myself I am nobody's…I just want to be free…And I promised myself, even though it doesn't always come easy…Going to __learn from my pain, never explained, I'll do it my way, that's what I say! I promised myself I'm the only one who will believe me… _

"_And I promised myself I am nobody's…I just want to be free…And I promised myself, even though it doesn't always come easy…Going to learn from my pain, never explained, I'll do it my way, that's what I say! I promised myself I'm the only one who can complete me!"_

I walked along carefully, lingering on the beautiful details of my home I would keep in my mind forever. But as I passed a small black tent-the tent of that certain Elder from the ceremony-I stopped, a snarl ripping from my throat. Fury flooded my veins.

It was _his_ fault I was being forced to leave my home. It was _his_ fault everyone hated me._ His_ fault my parents would never love me, _his_ fault I would never have any friends. _His_ fault.

It was _HIS_ fault I would never have the happy life with Marc like I wanted.

I lost control of my sudden rage and ripped the tent flap from its seams. I walked into the small room and looked around, smiling cruelly down at the sleeping, helpless Elder on the floor.

I_ would have my revenge._

_

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_

H/P


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry for the late update, I would have had this chapter up sooner, but a combination of school and an evil older brother takes its toll, you know. Thank you for all your reviews anyway, you all are so nice to me! **

**Okay, anyone who hasn't voted on the should-Marc-die poll _must vote now _(Oh, and my friends, will you hate him) When I put the next chapter up, I'll have a new poll, 'cause I'm planning a PMD story (but I have several ideas). Check it out when this is done!**

**By the way, HopeThePixii…I had an interesting thought…how do you think Synth would react to this tale? XD Heck, he could probably **_**relate**_** to Rose. Except I don't think he's killed anyone…**

**

* * *

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Chapter Six

**Who I Am**

* * *

"_The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places." –Ernest Hemingway_

* * *

The soft wind rattled the tent.

The only sounds I could hear was the Elder's smooth even breathing and my own faint giggles of anticipation. Something had snapped in my head; maybe I was finally going crazy. This adrenaline had come on so suddenly, I didn't feel like me right now.

But in the moment, _I liked it_.

It was the hour for revenge to strike.

Instinctively, I shifted forward into a crouch and bared my teeth, grinning. My muscles tensed and I glanced down, randomly admiring my claw's strange gleam. So lovely, so deadly. Iron would never know how like him I would become tonight.

My tail blazed with a white light.

With another giggle, I slammed my tail (which had suddenly become as strong as iron) against the sleeping Elder-there were some horrifying cracks, and then he flew into the air, smashed against one of the tent poles, and slid to the ground. I smirked as he forced his eyes open with a groan of shock.

"Valentina Petal?" He choked out.

I let out a piercing cry and slammed my tail into him again, sending him soaring. All of my amusement was gone. "I am not Valentina anymore." I growled. "I will _never_ be Valentina again. I am…I am Rose!"

Rose-the name who defined who I am. Mostly who I was, the flora girl, the young woman with a rose around her neck. And who I would become-I had been a bud for my life. Now…my petals were unfurling, showing what was really inside, beautiful and, well, different.

"Val- Miss Rose!" The Elder coughed. "Wh-why are you doing this?"

My face ripped into a snarl.

"You took my life away from me." I hissed, a white glow beginning to lick the edges of my tail. "I could have had a normal life, with friends and a family who loved me. I could have had _Marc_! I could have had _kids_! I could have had that life that I had dreamed about! And now, you've taken it all away, leaving me to be beaten, struggling for survival and fleeing for my life! And now, _I want revenge_!"

I let out a shrill howl and pounced on him, clawing at the air until I felt skin was torn; something shiny and warm soaked my paws. I leapt off and prowled around him, the smug smile on my face again. His eyes watched me-first with fear, and then…it faded to resignation as my tail burned for the last time, as strong as iron.

My last blow, and the last thing the Elder would ever feel.

I smashed my tail into his chest once again, forcing all of my fury and rage into that final attack. The red liquid waved out of his sides, and he started choking out his final breaths.

I watched with horror. I had seen no death before.

The Elder looked up into my eyes and smiled slightly.

And then the light vanished from his eyes.

The deed was done.

* * *

My anger dissipated and I spun around, striding out of the tent and out, out through the forest. I was leaving, and what I had done wouldn't stop me. Even if I was monstrous, repulsive. Even if I had murdered someone, and the blood was on my hands.

Death was the beginning.

I glanced into the stream as I sped walked.

I couldn't recognize myself anymore, this woman in the place of my reflection. This woman with calm hate in her eyes, and impatience that narrowed them. Her legs were splattered with blood and she walked too briskly along…

Behind me, I heard light footsteps. I stopped and sighed, turning once more to face him.

"What is it that you want, Marcus Victor Icebir?"

Marc's eyes were full of pitilessness. The Marc I had once loved had given himself over to the worse side for good. I knew this Marc would not waver from his side, like he almost had before Isabella. He truly, beyond a doubt, hated me.

"Rose, _my grandfather_!" He shouted, in agony. "_How could you?"_

I glared back into his face.

"It was necessary."

"_Necessary_ to kill someone _innocent_? You killed him without a thought! He never did anything to you, Rose! You're just a lying, murdering girl who destroys all that's good in your path! _Nothing_ like that was _necessary_!"

"Marc, I can't stay here. I can't live the life I once led. I'm not…Valentina Petal anymore. I'm someone else now. Someone better."

"Better!" He snorted. "So you went to being a freak to a killer. So much better. Ugh, why can't you just leave? Why couldn't you have died so long ago? Everyone would have been so much better off! How was I ever your friend?"

"Marc, no matter what, you will always be my friend, no matter how many times you rip my heart to shreds." I closed my eyes. "And good _will_ come to me. Somehow, someday. I'm on a path, a path I must follow."

"_And Goodness knows the wicked's lives are lonely…Goodness knows the wicked cry alone! Nothing grows for the wicked, they reap only what they've sown!_" He backed away from me. "Look at you! You're a wicked, selfish Eevee! I can't feel anything for you _but_ hate!" His face twisted in his total detestation. "And to think, I once _loved_ you!"

That broke into my concentration

"You…what…_you loved me_?" I whimpered.

"Yes, of course I did!" Marc snarled. "No one could understand how blind you could be to _not_ see it! And now, it's the opposite. I don't anymore."

He _loved me_…

I had to try, one last time, though I would fail.

"Marc…come with me! Think of what we could do! Together!" I pleaded one last time. "_Unlimited… Together we're unlimited…Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been…Dreams, the way we planned them…If we work in tandem…"_

Marc let out a low hiss.

"_There's no fight we cannot win! Just you and I defying gravity! With you and I, defying gravity! _Oh, Marc!_ They'll never bring us down!"_

Marc shook his head, enraged. No! I will not go along with such childish fancies! You don't deserve to have anyone's love! You will never defy gravity! _And Goodness knows the wicked's lives are lonely…Goodness knows the wicked die alone! It just shows when you're wicked, you're left only on your own!"_

"Marc, please…I loved you!"

He gave me a final glare.

"_No one mourns the Wicked! When at last she's dead and gone-then at last, there's joy throughout the land_!" He spat, infuriated. "Goodbye, Rose. Let's hope our paths never cross again. Goodbye."

And he twisted around to start walking away.

I backed up a step, blinking.

And suddenly, the last verse of my song came exploding out of me, combined in hate and rage and passion and love and emotions impossible to describe. And I was singing, singing out my dreams, singing out who I was.

"_So, if you care to find me, look up into sky! As someone told me lately: everyone deserves the chance to fly!"_

Marc let out a wild cry of anger as his words were reused.

_And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free! To those who'd ground me, take a message back from me! Tell them how I am defying gravity! I'm flying high, defying gravity! And soon, I'll match them in renown…And nobody in all the world-no person that there is or was-is ever gonna bring me down!"_

Marc's cruel eyes turned back to look into mine one last time.

"I hope you're happy."

His head whipped back around and walked away from me.

Away from me forever.

I blinked back tears, but…found that they weren't there. There were no more tears. It was like the argument was nothing. I turned around and kept walking, the opposite direction of him. Now I walked toward my destiny, and I didn't look back.

Because now my petals were unfurling, and I was going to show everyone who I really was inside. What Valentina Petal wanted was no more. Now I was Rose, and what Rose Petal wanted was to fly. With Marc I could only be a bud. I would never become all that I could be with him. And now I could easily see that this was what had to be done. Now I was off to see the world, be in the world, show the world.

And I would show the world who I am.

_

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_

H/P


	7. Chapter 7

**So, so sorry, everyone. Three reasons this was supposed to be posted on Wednesday and is now being posted on Saturday is this: One, I'm depressed and that kind of takes a toll. Two, I haven't been on the right computer, which sucks, and three, my parents almost blocked this site. But they didn't! (****phew)**

**Remember, after this chapter, we still have the epilogue. So don't be marred by the "The End" thing at the end of this chapter. **

**Yay! Fourteen people voted on my poll. Twelve of you voted that Marc should die; one voted that he shouldn't, and the last person voted "Whatever." O.o Who was that?**

* * *

**Last Chapter**

**Happiness**

* * *

"_At times the world can seem an unfriendly and sinister place. But believe us when we say there is much more good in it that bad. And what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events, may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey." –Violet Baudelaire _

* * *

"_So let me get this straight…say now you loved me all along? What made you hesitate to tell me with words what you really feel?"_

Little dust clouds erupted from my feet as I pounded determinedly on. Thud-thud, thud-thud went the drums of my paws.

I was not _running_ from my old home. I was marching to another place-one where I could happy.

Where I could move on. Forget my past.

"_I can see it in your eyes you mean all of what you say…I remember so long ago, see, I felt that same way."_

Marc loved me. I had seen that. But…I was over it. I had been his, he had been mine, and we had been fine, until he let it all slip away. He had to have been like that, and do those things behind my back. So now I was leaving. And I wasn't looking back because of all the things I was put through.

But I was going away…better.

"_Now we both have separate lives and lovers… Insignificantly enough we both have significant others…"_

He had his Isabella. And I would find someone who would lift me up instead of tearing me down.

_"Only time will tell…time will turn and tell…"_

As I strode along in the forest's path, the Pokémon I could see out of my peripheral vision paused as I walked by; their expressions (as far as I could tell) were of…fright. Once, I glanced into one of their faces, a child Spearow's. He shrunk back from my gaze.

"Don't hurt me!" The child whimpered, his eyes glued to my bloodstained paws.

I let out a sad sigh, shaking my head and continuing on my way. Was it not sad that this was how people would remember me, death and pain? That wasn't me, but this was my legacy.

"_We are who we were when…could've been lovers but at least you're still my day late friend…"_

Yes, no one will believe it, but I don't hate Marc. Marc is still…my friend. At least in my memories. He was just a day late for us to be together. Okay…maybe a year late.

But years don't matter to me anymore.

"_We are who we are who we were when…who knew what we know now…could've been more but at least you're still my day late friend…we are who we are who we were when…"_

I had to live the life I'd earned. The life Point would never have.

"_But thoughts, they change and times they rearrange…I don't know who you are anymore… Loves come and go and this I know: I'm not who you recall anymore…"_

Marc wasn't Marc anymore. How many times do I have to say that? It's like this is written down and I'm trying to convince some random people who are reading this that I'm sane! Which I am! …I think.

Marc is not a cruel person. He was just…being cruel.

And I was just…being me, I guess.

"_But I must confess you're so much more then I remember…can't help but entertain these thoughts…thoughts of us together…"_

Our relationship was demolished before it started.

Now…as for my new life…

"_We are who we were when…could've been lovers but at least you're still my day late friend…we are who we are who we were when…who knew what we know now…could've been more but at least you're still my day late friend…we are who we are who we were when…"_

Sighing, I turned onto another random road. Walking for three days straight, through mountains and cities and avoiding trainers, makes you not care where you're going.

"_My day late friend…"_

Nobody knows better than I how it feels to be outside the crowd. To be hated, to be scorned. And no one knows better than I how it feels to be your own best friend.

"_So let me get this straight: all these years and you were nowhere to be found…and now you want me for your own…But you're a day late and my love, he's still renowned…We are who we were when…could've been lovers but at least you're still my day late friend… we are who we are who we were when…who knew what we know now…" _

I paused at the edge of a field, ignoring it for a moment.

"_Could've been more but at least you're still my day late friend…we are who we are who we were when…"_

I stopped singing and paused.

_...oh!!_

My eyes blinked in amazement. It may have been nighttime still, but this place didn't need light to be beautiful.

It wasn't a field, more of a meadow, a gorgeous one at that. There was not one inch of it that wasn't covered in wildflowers, much bigger than normal flowers. The aroma of all of the flowers combined wafted through the area, pushed around by a gentle wind. Trees outlined the entire place. Nearby I recognized Eterna Forest.

It was the kind of place you imagine a happy ending to begin.

Now I understood why I had been unconsciously headed this way all along. I was _Rose Petal_, who loved flowers and the sky, and this had both.

Maybe I _could_ have a happy ending.

I climbed up a tree in the middle of the field, settling down on a thick branch with an immense smile on my face for once.

"_I couldn't be happier…couldn't be happier right here: Look what I've got, a fairy-tale plot… my very own happy ending…Where I couldn't be happier…couldn't be happier…And I'm happy to share my ending vicariously with all of you!"_

Even though I was speaking to no one, I sighed a happy sigh and inspected the field, marveling at how stunning it was. _"This couldn't look lovelier! I couldn't feel humbler…I couldn't be happier…because happy is what happens when all your dreams come true!"_

All of my dreams had come true? No. My dream was to fly, to escape Marc, to live a better life. This place gained me the chance for two of them, but not all of them.

…But if this place gave me the chance… Well, my dreams HAD come true, in a way!

"_That's why I couldn't be happier…no, I couldn't be happier…though it is, I admit, the tiniest bit unlike I anticipated…but I couldn't be happier…simply couldn't be happier…_Well-" I paused, realizing what I had just said. "Not _simply_…_Cause getting your dreams…It's strange, but it seems a little–well-complicated…"_

Marc broke into my mind, and the smile vanished.

"_There's a kind of a sort of...cost…There's a couple of things that get…lost…"_

Marc. Point. My home. My life. Everything I ever loved.

"_There are bridges you cross you didn't know you crossed until you've crossed! And if that joy, that thrill doesn't thrill you like you think it will…"_

It didn't matter, I decided, rising to my feet and beamed out into the meadow.

"_Still - with this perfect finale, the cheers and this valley, who wouldn't be happier? So I couldn't be happier…because happy is what happens when all your dreams come true!"_

I faltered for a brief moment, tears starting to form in my eyes.

"_Well…isn't it…?"_

The sun broke free of the horizon, flooding the world with its light, and me with a sense of hope. I smiled in my sudden joy, shaking the feeling off. I was here, in the now, and now…_"Happy is what happens when your dreams come true! Thank Goodness!" _

I leapt off the branch onto the trunk, racing back down its length, twirling as I jumped and landed in the flowers, illuminated in the dawn.

"_Thank Goodness for today!"_

And there I lay, looking up at the sky, finally happy. Happy because I could finally fix these…these broken wings.

Happy.

That sounded…nice.

**The End.**

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	8. Epilogue

**Oh my Arceus…it's finally over! I can't believe it!**

**I'm sorry that this epilogue came so late. But I've not been having much time to write lately-the reasons that will be posted soon in my profile-which is not very fun, for writing is my life. But I have also started a new story, PMD this time. Check it out for your dear author, won't you?**

**So finally, Rose's past (and my depressing story) comes to a close…with my dear Eevee Valentina (I'm going to miss writing about her, you know…) finally happy, despite her wretched past and the friend who broke her heart. And, at last, for my [attempted] grand finale, the epilogue! A HUGE, MASSIVE, ENORMOUS thank you to everyone who's read this story and reviewed…you are all SO awesome and I never expected to have over one thousand hits and over fifty reviews…it's so amazing, and I am very shocked overall. I never thought a simple RP character would come this far…**

**This chapter is pretty much dedicated to all of you, but I'd also like to specially dedicate it to four people: HopeThePixii, who created the forum in which Rose was in, AND was a fan before this story was even thought up. Second, to Eternal Shining Pikmin, who has been determined to review everything first and was very kind in letting me use his Eevee for this chapter so we could finally get our danged Sunsetshipping! :) Third, to my awesome Art/English teacher who basically CREATED Marc and gave me Valentina's name, and last, to the computer, who crashed, destroying the original epilogue and allowed me to write a completely better one! Your four are all awesome, and thank you!**

**And now… (lights dim, dramatic music) the Epilogue!**

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Epilogue

**My True Wings**

"_The flower that blooms in adversity in the most rare and beautiful of all."_

* * *

_-Six Months Later-_

My mouth fell open into a neat O.

"_That's_ what happened after I left?" I repeated, dumbfounded. "I…I just can't…it's impossible. That can't have happened. You and Twire _never _would have done that."

Before Point could protest, I cut in again. "But…tell me it again. Please."

Point across from me shrugged.

I hadn't been expecting to see Point again. Ever again. To tell the truth, I hadn't been expecting to even live this long.

A month ago, I had started to lose hope in the world, in my future. I was so unhappy with having no one to love and nowhere to go, I had never stopped thinking of suicide during that time. …Oddly enough, then my past- mostly Point-came back to find me.

And now, through my past, I was reviving that hope.

Ironic.

"You ran away." Point said simply, as the beginning.

"Marc came back to me in a rage, so upset about what you had done, about what was going to happen to you. He asked my advice, and yet, so ashamed on how he had treated you in your final exchange, I gave him none. I will never forget his bleak face as he went off to face his father and tell him the events of what had just happened.

"Iron, Twire, and I went to go see Marc the first chance we got. Marc seemed…depressed then. He had stayed indoors, in the dark nearly all the time. We had asked Isabella about it earlier, but she was no clues to what it was either. …Iron was oblivious to it all, of course. The moment the subject of you came up, he was already making cruel jokes about you being a freak. What I had remembered about your last night…I was so angry, I attacked Iron right then and there, in front of both Twire and Marc.

"That was the first time Iron had ever been defeated." Point added with a small smile.

"I ran away that night, just like you had barely a week before. I was afraid of the pack's wrath. I'm a coward, Rose, unlike you…

"I resolved to look for you, to make sure that you were okay. After two months of traveling throughout all of Sinnoh (and with no success, might I add) Twire joined me. He told me a similar tale to mine about defeating Iron and abandoning the pack for good, though for different reasons. We exchanged our last and brief conversations and then said our final farewells. I've not seen Twire since.

"Only once I returned to even close to where our pack was. That was about a month ago, just two months after Marc and Isabella's 'official' wedding thing or whatever. I went to go see him and his wife, and instead of finding two, I found five."

As I had.

"Their firstborn, and then twins." Point said, shaking his head. "Scar, Venus, and Indigo. Beautiful, beautiful kids, the twins especially. When I saw them, Venus and Indigo were playing with each other, Scar in his mother's lap. Marc was sitting away, looking at them with equal pain and love in his eyes.

"The first thought that entered my mind was you once again-rage was back, and I marched up to Marc, slapped him across the face and called him a cowardly, prissy a—hole." He gave a sheepish smile. "And he yelled right back at me, instantly defensive, saying that I was luckier than I realized, that I didn't have it as hard as he did-"

"You _are_ so lucky, Point." I sighed. "You've never thrown yourself into passion's throes, aiming for the arms of your true love, the true, excruciating pain of the heart."

Point smirked a little bit and raised his eyebrows. "Wait a minute; who said that I've never been in love, that I've never had a true love?"

My mouth fell open slightly again.

"You-you have? Wait a minute! _Who?!_" I commanded of him immediately.

Point's grin spread farther and farther across his face as he watched my expression. When he spoke, he had trouble controlling his laughter. "Misty Showerfall. I believe you've met her before." He lost control then and collapsed into fits of laughter.

My jaw dropped even further. "Misty? _Misty? Iron's_ mate? But…But last time I heard, Iron and Misty were still together as mates, and that Misty was going to have a baby…"

I figured it out then.

"FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS-!"

Point grinned again, this time ear to ear, still struggling to not break out into laughter. "You're right. She _is_ going to have a baby…it's just not exactly _Iron's_ baby."

"My Arceus, not his baby…you are infinitely more devious than I thought, Point." I said, shaking my head.

"It's just as well-"

"…Rose?" A quiet voice interrupted, and we both fell silent.

I looked up with a small smile on my face.

Yeah…um…remember what I had been saying earlier about finding someone who would, 'build me up, instead of tearing me down'?

Well…I think I found him.

But I can never tell him the story.

"You've spent over an hour talking to your little guest, Cheri's getting hungry but Dusk keeps protesting that we should wait for you - who's this?"

"Point Dimens." Point said causally, giving a nod of consent. "An old friend of Rose's."

It struck me as odd who easily Point used the word 'friend'.

And how quickly Point had taken to calling me Rose instead of…that accursed name, like Rose had really been my name all along.

"Hakumei Youji." The newcomer replied promptly, nodding in return. "It is a pleasure to meet you.

"You've known Rose for long?" Point asked politely, but with a frown.

"Rose and I have been traveling together briefly in that pack you saw earlier."

Point's eyes thoroughly examined Hakumei, as I had done many times before. Point's careful eyes didn't miss a single detail, like the silvery-gray mane and tip, instead of mine and Point's cream color. Point's eyes, however, especially lingered on the crescent moon scar just below his left ear.

A scar that had earned Hakumei a place outside of his pack.

Like me.

"Forgive me if I am prying…" Point's tone indicated he was not very sorry at all. "But…how did a pack of so huge like yours form, and why? I must admit, I'm rather curious."

"It's quite a long story, and now's not the time for the telling..." Hakumei replied graciously. "In short…we were attacked by a violent, pyromaniac Flareon who was bent on killing us all, and afterward we decided we should stick together. Though it was a bit more complicated than that, that's the story, all the same."

…Had you guys wondered about what had happened to Leon?

"Ah." Point replied in the same light manner.

"Would you like to stay with the pack for some dinner? Or spend the night?" Hakumei offered.

"Actually, I pretty much should be going…" Point said, rising to his feet and stretching. "I should go check up on Misty again…" He muttered to me, a small smile. "Things to do, places to see, people to talk to. It was nice to see you again, though, Rose, after six months-"

That's when the bushes rustled behind me-a twig snapped.

With a wild cry, I leapt up from my spot and whipped around; Point mirrored me, a fierce snarl ripping from his throat as he turned to face whoever had come up behind me. He had started to prepare to spring before I gave a slight shake of my head. Hakumei only back away slightly, his eyes not moving from the spot we had just heard the noise.

We waited; tense, ready to attack…

A Glaceon stumbled out of the bushes.

_Oh…my…Arceus._

* * *

Whatever astonishment was showing on Point's face, mine must have been tenfold. With the sheer weight of seeing the very person I had sworn never to see again, I stumbled backwards and nearly fainted to the ground. Point was already shaking violently, yet with rage or distress I could not tell; poor Hakumei looked only confused by how strong our reactions were.

"Point? Valentina? Valentina?" The Glaceon breathed, his light blue face twisting between unease and gladness.

Point came to his senses before I did.

"Why-why-you honorless bloody b—tard!" Point swore, scandalized. "How DARE you show your face to us again! Why do you have to show your repulsive face back here, just to bring more grief to her and continue to crush her beyond repair, damn you, you heartless monster-"

With a sigh, the Glaceon turned to me.

"…Marc?" was all I could choke out.

My old friend stepped toward me, the warm smile that I had never seen since before this all began lighting his face.

"…Rose." He murmured to himself. The way he said my name made me sound like I was the most wonderful person in the world.

With a spark of anger I spoke, my claws glinting against the ground. "Why are you here, Marcus?" I asked him coldly, closing my eyes.

"I can't believe it…" He continued as if I had not spoken. "You're still the same as always…you're still alive…you're still the Valentina I remember."

"What do you mean…_Valentina_?" Hakumei asked sharply.

Marc took another step toward me, thinking nothing of the growls that were emanating from Point. He only had eyes for me "I've been looking for you for so long…" He said softly. "I've missed you. I've missed you."

At last, I found my voice.

"_Ha!_ Like I'll actually believe _that_!" I shouted, my voice cracking on that one word. Correct me if I'm wrong, but last time I saw you, you screamed at me to _get out of your life_ and that you hoped I would be happy _dying alone_!"

"I…I did say that." Marc said anxiously. "But you have to understand-I didn't mean it, that night…after I saw my g-grandfather dead…I wasn't thinking clearly, everything I said I didn't mean! Lies, all of it lies! You have to believe me!"

My eyes closed again.

"No." I said harshly, and I heard Point snarl in agreement. "Those were some of the truest words you had ever spoken to me."

There were tears in Marc's eyes when I opened mine again.

"The pack…the pack would have forgiven your murder of that Elder, if only I had been on your side! But what's done is done…but…We can go back, Rose, both of us, they've agreed that... if it's what you wish…they will accept you back into the pack, accept you like you've never left. You could come back and have the life you always wanted, Rose…Please. Please."

That made me stop in my tracks.

"The pack wants me…back?" I repeated incredulously, all of my concentration broken.

Marc sensed my temporary weakness. "Yes, yes, they do!" He said, nodding vigorously. "Don't you remember our old ideas of what we were going to do when we were older-the silly ones, where we would be the bravest warriors and protect everyone, or the leaders-but the ones…" He outstretched a hesitant paw and ran it gently down my cheek. "The ones where we promised that we would be friends forever, that we would be together, no matter what? Where we would be respected by all of the ones older than us, that they would look at us and say, 'Look at those two! Their destinies are to make the world a better place; they are true members of our family'?"

"How dare you!" I said with a wild hiss. "How _dare _you-?!"

Marc looked into my eyes.

"It doesn't matter that it was your fault. None of that matter to me anymore. All that matters to me…is you."

I lost control then.

"YOU HAVE THE DAMN NERVE TO MARCH BACK HERE AND CLAIM THAT YOU'RE SORRY, THAT FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE, YOU CARED ABOUT MY HAPPINESS?! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST SWALLOW IT AND TAKE YOU BACK, JUST TO HAVE YOU BREAK MY FOOLISH HEART AGAIN THE SECOND YOU GET THE CHANCE?! ARCEUS, HOW I HATE YOU, HONORLESS JERK! I HATE YOU TO HEAVEN AND BEYOND, WHERE I THOUGH I WAS ONCE HEADED! NOT ANYMORE, FOR WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU- FIGHT ME BACK IF YOU'RE A MAN, YOU LYING, HEARTBREAKING B-TCH!"

With a furious snarl I sprang at him, and he didn't even put up a single paw to stop me.

I slashed my claws across his face and felt the icy skin tear underneath them, and I drew back to strike again, I saw that they were deep and long. But I felt no pity for the man who had betrayed me now.

I struck him again and bloody drops started to run down his face from the cuts; I did it once again, and it started to flow freely. I felt a savage pleasure as I watched the red soak through Marc's blue fur. My tail glowing as brightly as it had done that fateful night, I slammed it into him.

He was trying to not scream or show any pain-oh, I would change that! I sliced him twice in the side with my blade like tail, and two enormous cuts now joined the first. Satisfied, I continued to hack and tear at him, adding more and more injuries to the only person I had ever loved.

Once, out of the corner of my eye while I repeatedly slammed Marc back and clawed at him, I saw Hakumei start forward-looking like he was ready to help me-when Point threw out one arm.

"No." Point whispered in a hollow voice. "This is her battle."

Marc was becoming crimson, and I impatient. …Would he really not lift a finger in his defense as I mercilessly killed him? Concentrating all of my energy into this one blow, I smashed my iron-hard tail into him once more, this time more powerful than any move I had ever done.

He went flying and struck the nearby tree, and with a groan of pain coming from his lips his body fell back to the ground, back-first. I charged at him again and pounced on him, landing on top of him. My claws dug into his chest, fresh blood started to sleep over them as my claws held their place right over his heart.

One simple move, and I could kill Marc. For good. Let him feel a tiny fraction of what pain he had given to me. So simple…so, so simple.

"Do it, Rose." Marc whispered, tears starting to roll down his face. "Kill me."

I hesitated.

"Please, Rose, just kill me." Marc murmured, closing his eyes, though they continued to leak tears. "Arceus knows how much I deserve it. If I live in the Torn World forever and ever and be cursed to remain in an eternal nightmare-Rose, I deserve it for what I did to you.

"I was foolish to throw away the one person ever meant for me, to even hope that I could at least not live a miserable life. I was doomed to never be loved from the start. Isabella never loved me, and Arceus knows I didn't deserve her, either. That love she had shown for me was fake, all fake. Isabella was in love with Iron, and for months, she had hid it from me. Scar, Venus, and Indigo aren't even my children, and I suspected as much. They're exactly like their mother, and all four of them despise me, hate me-and so do the rest of them.

"Not even my father cares about me anymore!

"These six months without you have been excruciating torture- only until you were gone did I realize how much I truly loved you, how much I still do. I knew I'd lost you forever…but I had to see you one last time.

"Kill me, Rose. Please let me die, my Arceus, please. I see the fire in your eyes and know that's what you're planning to do anyway. I'm sorry, and I love you. If you have any fondness left of me, please, do one last thing for me-kill me, as I've deserved it all along."

I closed my eyes.

Then, with a quiet decision, I took out my claw from over his heart.

"No."

Marc's eyes flew open, as did his mouth. Point and Hakumei instantly mirrored him. "What?" The three of them asked at the same time, all three shocked.

I shook my head violently.

Hadn't I been trying to convince myself this whole time that I was a better person? Someone different, but someone better than the unwise child I had been? Someone who didn't kill, who wasn't a murderer? Someone who was worthy of having a happy ending.

I _am_ a better person. I _am. _I am a new person.

Just not that broken-winged girl.

"Death…death isn't the answer." My voice cracked as I backed away. "I'm not a murderer. I'm not Valentina Petal. I'm not the person I once was, as I said before. I'm only a girl. I may be the loner girl, the forgotten girl, the broken girl. But not this…not death."

And then I fled.

* * *

"_Sometimes I feel like I'm a bird with broken wings…"_ I sang, my voice being choked out as I fled from the three people who had ever truly cared about me.

This is why I hated life.

This was why I hated people.

I had no clue of where I was headed or even of where I was going- my vision was too blurred by those accursed tears, the stupid tears that seemed to always come in the worst times.

"_At times, I dread my now and envy where I've been…"_

"-Rose!"

Hakumei launched himself into my path, but I only rushed around him.

"Rose, please, listen to me-!"

"_But that's when quiet wisdom takes control…_" I sang quietly to myself as I scampered along. "_At least I've got a story no one's told…"_

That's when he seized my arm, and I, of course the weaker one, could not break free. He forced me to whirl around and face him, and he stared hard into my eyes.

"Rose, please." He pleaded softly. "Stop this running away."

"What else am I to do?" I begged, still weeping. "I've never done anything else but run, that's how I lived to know, how I escaped the physical death the pack would have placed on me and the heart death Marc had already sentenced. I've known of nothing else-what else am I supposed to do?"

Hakumei closed his eyes with a sigh, and then opened them again.

"Please." He pleaded again, searching my eyes. "Tell me the story. Tell me what happened, of how this all begin. Tell me of how you ran away from your home, and why. Tell me of how that person back there broke your heart.

Tell me the story you've been hiding from me all along."

"_I finally learned to say…whatever will be will be…" _I knew my pretending was up now, that my past could no longer be hidden and kept to myself to cry over. _"I've learned to take…the good, the bad and breathe…'cause although we like to know what life's got planned…no one knows if shooting stars will land…_"

He opened his mouth to speak, but I shook my head, the tears coming fast now.

"I was a foolish girl six months ago, Hakumei, a very foolish girl. Someone who still believed life was easy, simple. Someone who believed in happy endings. I gave my heart to the wrong person, and later he betrayed me just for who I was. I was hated-and mistreated-heartbroken-and full of false hope. I thought I could be happy with you guys, but I can't be. Not with anyone, for no one has ever cared about me. I'm stuck by myself, and I'm used to it. It's worse than death, but there's no escape.

"_These days it feels naive to put your faith in hope…To imitate a child, falling backwards on the snow… 'Cause that's when fears will usually lead you blind…_"

With a shocked expression, Hakumei laid a paw on my arm. "It doesn't have to be this way, Rose…"

Scattering my tears with such a simple motion, I forced myself to shake my head again and pull away from his gentle touch. "_But now I try to under-analyze…I finally learned to say…whatever will be will be…I've learned to take…The good, the bad and breathe… 'Cause although we like to know what life's got planned…No one knows if shooting stars-_"

His paw on mine tightened. Attempting to wipe away my excess of tears, I turned my face toward him as I continued to sing, expecting to find a look of pity, one of sorrow on his.

He kissed me then.

And suddenly my heart was on fire.

"_-will land…"_

"_Is the rope I walk wearing thin?_" I sang wonderingly as I pulled away, a strange feeling spreading throughout my chest. "_Is…the life I love caving in? Is the weight on my mind a heavy black bird caged inside?_"

He laughed slightly, leaning his head against the top of mine.

"_Say whatever will be will be…Take the good, the bad…Just breathe…'Cause although we like to know what life's got planned…"_

He shook his head slightly and added his own line.

"_Things like that are never in your hands…_"

"_No one knows if shooting stars will land…"_ I finished with a small smile as feeling of joy spread throughout me.

Marc had been my chains since I had loved him; only when I had let Marc go was I free. That had been my problem-I had still loved Marc. But not anymore. Marc and I hadn't been meant for each other-I saw that now. Clinging to that final dream had brought me down. Now, though-now I had true love's wings.

Now I was that new person.

With my true wings.

I sighed and turned to look back the way I had come. "I…need to tell them goodbye. I can't see them again..." I turned my head slightly to look at him. "Will…will you stay with me?"

He gave a small, sad smile.

"Always."

* * *

I specifically avoided Marc's eyes as I said my final words.

"…and I'm sorry." I finished. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've cost you, and I'm sorry you ever had to know me, Marc. But go back to the pack. Care for your kids, even though they're not yours. Don't treat everyone terribly…just because of what they did." I closed my eyes. "Forgive them for the past…the past…is just the past. It is nothing but memories that give us hope for the future."

Marc reached out and drew me into a final embrace.

"You know, Valentina Azalea Petal…there's only one thing I regret…we were meant for each other. And you know that." He said softly for only me to hear.

I pushed him gently away.

"No." I said. "We never were meant to be together. Goodbye, Marc. It was nice kno…I'm glad I was able to meet you."

Point nodded and interrupted me. "And it was nice meeting you too, Rose Petal. I'll be seeing you soon again, you can be sure of that." He gave a small smirk. "I'll be sure to get Marc home…to where he belongs."

He turned to Marc, who looked scandalized. "Let's go, you cowardly, prissy a—hole." He said, chuckling and digging his claws into Marc's arm, forcing Marc to walk away with him.

I watched both of them go with a smile on my face and in my heart.

What I had thought were my wings were my broken ones.

_Now_…I was flying on true wings.

**THE END (THE REAL END, ANYWAY)**

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